1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to film preservation and restorations. More particularly, it relates to a method for automatically registering the color components (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) of a color film for use in preservation and restoration applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to store a color film for a long time and reduce the effect of color fading, the color film is separated into three-color components, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (CMY). Each color component is stored on a separate reel. When the time comes to re-release the film, the color components on each of these three reels need to be re-combined. In this regard, the CMY components need to be registered to obtain resulting re-combined color images that appear to be the same color as the images on the original color film. Most CMY registration is performed using photo-chemical techniques. Unfortunately, as the CMY reels age, the film on each reel is subject to distortion or shrinkage. In this environment, such photo-chemical based CMY registration does not perform well. As such, it requires registration to be performed using digital technology. In this case, registration is performed manually. However, manual registration is labor and cost intensive.